Reap
by Lyrical-Escapades
Summary: Shuuhei finally faces his Zanpakuto. Rated T for Language
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I've been watching Bleach nonstop for... like the past week and a half. :] I've always been very fond of Shuuhei, so this is the result. Reviews = cookies, Flames = No thanks.  
I dont own anything about Bleach. I'd live a much happier, wealthier existance if I did hahaha :D  
**

* * *

_I hate this place._

Chains wound themselves around his torso, effectively pinning his arms to his sides, forearms pressed to his back. Smaller links expanded out to bind his fingers one by one making them immobile and completely straight. He was on his knees in that cold, damp room, light blue eyes glittered on their own, the only source of light in this demented, secluded world.

More than anything he wanted to fight. He wanted Shuuhei Hisagi to call his name, release him into the open so he could feel the heat of battle, taste the enemies blood – or that of whoever got in his way – and to smell _victory_. He flexed his hands, moving barely a fraction before a growl of frustration tore through his throat.  
He was dangerous. His wielder knew it, and was _very_ afraid of that fact.

_As he should be_. He grinned, lips curling back to reveal sharp, white teeth to nobody. Kazeshini threw back his head and laughed, a terrible, chilling noise that resonated off the walls.

* * *

Ever since Shuuhei had returned with the others to the Soul Society, things had been quiet. Everybody must have realized just how close to death they had all come… how beautiful their lives really were. The first few days after they returned, he refused to come out of his room. He needed time to breathe, to understand that he was okay and Kazeshini had not gotten the best of him. But the nightmares were worse. The dark circles beneath his eyes betrayed him when he told everybody else he was fine.

Captain Unohana suggested he go with her to be examined.

He politely refused.

Shuuhei requested a meeting with Captain Commander Yamamoto later that day.

"9th Division Vice Captain Shuuhei Hisagi."  
The younger man bent at the waist, bowing to his Commander. "Sir."  
"Why have you requested this meeting?" Yamamoto's voice suggested he already knew the reason.  
"Captain Commander, I would like to ask for a leave of absence for two weeks. I feel… I could not perform my duties in my condition." Shuuhei's gaze never quite met the Captain's. A fist of guilt tightened around his stomach.  
Yamamoto remained silent for several long moments. "This is because of your Zanpakuto, correct?"  
"Yes, Sir."  
"Your request is granted." Yamamoto now had Shuuhei's full, undivided attention. "What Kaname Tousen told you of fearing your blade was correct. However, your fear is rooted deep in your soul, Hisagi Shuuhei. Work on this when you are gone."  
"Yes, Captain Commander."  
"Dismissed."

The instant Shuuhei got back to his room he collapsed to his knees, taking Kazeshini from his belt to slide the sheathed blade across the floor. Shuuhei felt it. No. Shuuhei felt _him_. Shrieking with laughter, yet the blade remained unmoving, not transformed…

Panic shook him. He needed to get out, and quick.

He figured the cliché 'under-the-cover-of-darkness' situation would be best to leave. With few seated officers on duty, most of the Captains and their Vice Captains would not be up and around. Shrugging on the pack he filled with the essentials – clothes, some food, etc. – he took a hesitant step towards Kazeshini, heart thumping against his ribcage. He could feel the waves of power pulsing through the air, cutting through him as if he was nothing. Peculiar sounds drifted through his mind, like something he could hear, but the room was silent. With an annoyed growl he snatched up the sheathed blade from the floor, hooking it to his belt.

If anybody had seen him exit his room, it was only for a brief second before he masked his reiatsu and disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a dense forest on the outskirts of the Seireitei, which would prove to be his home for the next couple weeks. The trees were magnificently tall, their roots curving up out of the ground making small caves, providing protection for whoever needed it. Shuuhei sure did. About an hour walk into the wooded area, he decided to stop and make camp. He had no problems seeing thanks to the light of the full moon glittering in the treetops.

Before anything he took Kazeshini from his side, setting the sword beneath an enormous root, figuring that would be the best place to stop. He pushed the blade farther back into the makeshift cave, setting his other belongings down. He was used to being out in the elements having been one of those children who ran away constantly. Not that he was running _from_ anything, quite the contrary. He was a curious child; maybe too curious since it seemed to get him into quite a bit of trouble – you know, running into restricted areas and Hollows and whatnot.

"It was easier back then." He muttered, starting a fire the old fashioned way. He hadn't lost his touch and in no time there was a roaring fire for him to star into. He leaned back against the large trunk of his shelter, propping his right leg up to rest his arm on.

His mind swirled with different thoughts. A Zanpakuto was a soul inside of a Shinigami. So that means Kazeshini is part of Shuuhei. Even in just his Shikai form, Kazeshini was deadly, a weapon _meant_ to kill enemies. Everybody knew his command was 'Reap' for crying out loud, did nobody else find that a little off-putting?

It was completely distressing to think something that feels so… blatantly evil is apart of his soul. Of course, in a fight Shuuhei will always fight until the necessary end, whether that's leaving the enemy battered and broken, or completely dead. A fight was a fight, and he took every fight as serious as the last one was and the next one will be. But he wasn't a _killer._ That was the difference. Right?

Regardless how terrified he was of Kazeshini; he needed to work to get better. This was his Zanpakuto, his responsibility.

* * *

_"Wake up."_

_That voice…_

_"Wake up, Shinigami."_

_Steel gray eyes opened slowly. He tried to move his arms, to no avail. Where the hell was he? He lifted his head, eyes lying on the man before him. A red and black figure who looked like a man wrapped in a shadow. Pale blue eyes regarded him with interest.  
_

"_You finally let me in, eh?"_

"_Who are you?"_

_The man scoffed, shifting the enormous blade resting on his shoulder. "'Course you wouldn't remember me. You've said my name… what? Once or twice."  
_

_Shuuhei eyed the blade, recognition slamming into him like a battering ram. _

"_Kazeshini…"_

_____"Got that right." The man stood up, striding over to crouch down in front of Shuuhei who was now in the same position Kazeshini was in earlier. "I chained you up so you could feel what it's like living with **you** as a master." Kazeshini's mouth split into a wicket grin. "Now. We needta have a little chat."_

_Fear raced through Shuuhei's body, shaking him to his very core. This was his Zanpakuto. This… creature._

_"You listening? I ain't gonna repeat myself." Kazeshini gripped Shuuhei's chin roughly, forcing the young man to give the Zanpakuto spirit his attention. "You're really pissin' me off with all this fearing me bullshit. You keep me locked up in this fuckin' hellhole for years and years on end. It's driving me **insane**, do you hear me, Shinigami?"_

_"Shuuhei" he answered, browns drawn together in somewhat of a glare._

"_What? You think I'm gonna use your name when you never use mine? Hell no. This is how it's gonna work." He leaned in close, running his tongue over Shuuhei's cheek.  
_"_You let me out… and I don't rip your mind to fuckin' pieces."_

_

* * *

_

Shuuhei sat up quickly, gasping for breath. For a moment he forgot he had left and let his surroundings startle him. Drawing his knees up, he curled into himself, hugging his head with his arms like the movement would block out the world and protect him from that demon living inside his sword. His cheek brushed against his arm, making him stiffen.

His cheek was wet.

Disgust twisted his stomach. Rising to his feet, Shuuhei grabbed some soap, running quickly to the nearby river. He took off his hakama and stepped into the river stark naked, rubbing his body furiously with the small bar of soap. No matter how vigorously he scrubbed at his quickly reddening skin, he still felt completely disgusting. He tossed the soap onto the grass, taking handfuls of water to splash on his face. He opened his eyes to see Kazeshini grinning up at him from the water.

_Let me out!_ The spirit launched his hand out of the water, knocking Shuuhei back against the bank. The red and black hand receded back into the water, all trace of the man gone. Shuuhei turned his head to the sky, gritting his teeth against the urge to scream.

* * *

It took hours to regain his composure. He was reeling with memories from when he was a little boy and completely scared of the dark. He feared the monsters that could pop up out of nowhere and attack him. Just like Kazeshini proved he could do. So he paced around, collected himself and turned towards his discarded sword. Silence fell on his tiny little area. No birds chirped, no wind rustled the leaves; even his breathing became quiet.

Mustering up what courage he could, he stepped forward, leaning down to scoop up Kazeshini in his hands. He took the sheath off, leaning it against the trunk of the tree, feeling a tremor run up his arm and down his spine. Kazeshini was laughing again.

Taking a deep breath, Shuuhei steeled himself. "Reap." He muttered. "Kazeshini."

His reiatsu skyrocketed, swirling around him like a solid white tornado, engulfing him completely. When the wind finally settled down, a more unfamiliar-than-not weight rested in his hands. Dual swords adorned with pinwheel-shaped blades shone in the sunlight. He wrapped part of the long chain around his wrist, taking a few test swings before giving himself a decent workout. Shuuhei needed to feel comfortable with Shikai before he tried anything else.

_Release me_.

Shuuhei landed on the ground, crouched with one leg extended out to his side. He straightened his body slowly, holding both swords out to his side. Closing steel gray eyes, Shuuhei concentrated. His reiatsu swirled around his feet, came up his legs and torso, scattered over his arms and hands to engulf the swords.

Once gray orbs opened, red, black-rimmed eyes glared at the forest before him.  
"Bankai."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I hope you guys dont think that I think Shuuhei is like. some scared little thing. 'Cause I dont. I think he's a BAMF but ANYWHO. CookieReviews and all that jazz. :] Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

_There was a shudder of power that raced through the small confined spaces Kazeshini was in. He flicked his tongue out, tasting the air. Shuuhei was finally letting go. It took a lot for the Shinigami to just release his Shikai. He knew the next word before Shuuhei could even think it._

"_Bankai." Kazeshini whispered._

_The chains that wound their way around his torso shattered, disappearing in a cloud of ash. The man rose to his feet, shuddering with power. The dual swords that lay on the ground before him glowed; a white light encompassed them before it faded away, leaving a longer hilt adorned with a scythe on the very end. From toe to heel, the blade itself was a massive six feet long, almost two feet wide. The pole itself stood taller than Kazeshini. If Shuuhei did not ready himself for what he would become when he uttered that fateful word now, he never would be._

Scream for me._ He thought, closing his eyes.  
_

* * *

Shuuhei cried out, his body clenching and doubling over. A surge of reiatsu exploded from his body, paralyzing him. Dust kicked up around him, burst skyward and enveloped a solid ten-foot radius around him. He dropped to his knees, gripping the earth beneath him.

"Look at me."

_Kazeshini._ Shuuhei dragged his gaze up to meet the blazing blue eyes of his Zanpakuto.

"You let me out." Gleaming white teeth were bared, the corners of the spirit's mouth curled up wickedly. "That… may have been a mistake on your part."

"What?" Shuuhei tried to push himself up. Kazeshini stepped on his back, forcing the man back down.

"See… there's a reason why you couldn't release me before. I'm just too damn strong for a weakling like you. You can't _control_ me, Shinigami." Kazeshini rested the middle of the pole across his shoulders, holding the bottom of it with his left hand. His right hand went down to lift Shuuhei completely off the ground with little effort. "Once you're dead, I'll gain control of all your power." Malice dripped through his voice, but he sounded excited.

Before Shuuhei knew what happened, he found himself launched through the air, his back slamming into the large trunk of the tree behind him. The breath left his lungs in a rush, causing him to double over and fall to the ground with a disappointing _thud_.

"My, my. How the hell did I get paired up with somebody like you?" Kazeshini mocked him, dragging Shuuhei up by his neck, slamming him backwards once more to press his hand into the Shinigami's windpipe. "You're nothing. Less than nothing. You're fucking _pathetic_!"

Shuuhei grabbed at Kazeshini's wrists, nails digging into abnormally colored flesh. His teeth ground together fighting off the panic rising in his chest. If he gave up, he would die, and how dishonorable would it be to fall at your own Zanpakuto's hand? If he fought… well… He didn't really know. The outcome could be the same, or drastically different. Twisting his body, Shuuhei kicked his foot up, landing a solid blow to the side of Kazeshini's head, knocking the spirit sideways. Shuuhei dropped to the ground, wincing when he slid his hand over his rapidly bruising neck.

"You finally grow a pair, Shini—"

"_Shuuhei_." He growled, standing up against the tree. "I said your damn name, now you can address me like you should."

Kazeshini snorted, turning his head defiantly off to the side. "For fucks sake. You think I'm gonna do that?"

"Yes. You'll say it when I've got my sword at your throat." Shuuhei withdrew his blade, something Kazeshini hadn't seen before sparked behind the Soul Reaper's eyes. In a fraction of a second Shuuhei was in front of him, swinging his blade from the left. Kazeshini tilted his scythe-like sword off his shoulder, blocking just in time, sparks flying around them.

Their battle had commenced. Shuuhei matched Kazeshini step for step, countering his every attack, swinging with everything he had at every defense. A little flicker of pride made its way through Kazeshini's head. Finally Shuuhei had broken down those barriers and _let loose_. He was fighting for something, not for anyone but himself. All the years of building stress, betrayal and anguish were unleashed. The dark-haired Shinigami had spirit left in him yet.

Thoughts clouded the spirits' mind, so much so that he narrowly missed blocking Shuuhei's attack. Shuuhei slammed his blade into the pole of Kazeshini's weapon, crouching down to collide his calf into Kazeshini's legs, swinging them out from beneath the spirit. Jumping up, he swung his sword over his head, using both arms to ram his blade into his Zanpakuto's weapon to pin Kazeshini to the ground with the pole of his sword pinning his chest.

Cold blue eyes looked up and met hardened gray ones. For what it was worth, the short fight between them was turning out a lot different than Kazeshini had anticipated.  
"You understand now." The Zanpakuto mused aloud, eyeing the young man above him. What a compromising situation. Had any of the other Zanpakuto's – or their masters, for that matter – come along to see what was going on, this would be very embarrassing indeed.

"Understand _what_? That my Zanpakuto, part of _my_ soul, mind you, is a complete arrogant asshole hell bent on destroying everything?"

There was a very distinct eye-roll. "Tch, if that's all you have to say about me, I'm doin' pretty damn good." Kazeshini shifted, tested how strongly Shuuhei had him pinned. He couldn't move. "But no. You understand how to fight me."

"It's not difficult, I've fought with you long enough out here."

"Dammit, you're a fuckin' pain in the ass, you know that? _Gods!_ I'm not gonna always give you the damn answers, so listen up!" Kazeshini was pissed now, his body actually glowing red. "You don't let go enough. You bottle every little fuckin' thing up until _this_ happens. Until I come out, and I terrorize you and wreak hell on your life – do you seriously think this all would happen if you didn't just spar with somebody once in a while? When you get pissed off, you don't get angry, you bottle it up and **here I am**!" When he felt Shuuhei slacken and back up just the tiniest bit, Kazeshini thrust his arms forward, sending the man backwards. "I'm not yer damn enemy, but you sure make it seem that way. Yes, Shuuhei Hisagi, your Bankai has something to do with _killin'_, and with _dyin'_. Unlike the rest of those pansy-ass fools, you gotta live up to the _Reaper_ part of your title."

Shuuhei pushed a hand through his hair, glaring at the other man. "That's not who I am."

With a growl of frustration, Kazeshini bolted forward, dodging Shuuhei's counter attack to slam a hand against his throat, whirling Shuuhei around to throw him against the large tree trunk again. "You. Piss. Me. Off! This is exactly who you are Shuuhei because I. Am. _You._" Enunciation was supposed to get the point across, but it damn well wasn't working this time. "You have absolutely no idea what kind of power I possess because you're too much of a pussy to find out!"

Piece of wood flew out from every direction around him, splinters tore into his skin, he felt the scalp on the back of his head split open on impact. He was having trouble breathing; most likely from too many shots to the throat. But everything sank in. Every word was getting through to him, whether he showed it or not. How the hell was he supposed to just abandon his fears and trust somebody like Kazeshini? In the beginning he hardly touched his blade until every Captain and their Vice started calling him out on it. So he wore it on his hip or his back, mentally steeling himself against the shudder he would feel race down his spine from being in contact with the blade itself.

Then came time when he actually had to use it. He could hear the praise; the silent _Thank Gods_ that he finally had enough courage to just release its Shikai form. But they didn't see how his hands trembled violently as he stood before Findor Carias; they couldn't feel his heart beating it's way out of his chest.

Call him a coward.

He knew it.

"Is any of this getting' through to you or do you need another ass whoopin'?"

Shuuhei stood up once more, wincing when he tried to put weight on his left leg. Two fractures in his ankle, just great. "It's through."

"Say it. One more time."

Cold, distant orbs regarded the spirit.

Call him a coward.

No more.

"Bankai."

* * *

**A/N: Cookiesssss :D Please no flames!**


	4. Chapter 4

_This isn't so damn bad, is it?_

Shuuhei stood in the same spot, looking out at the opaque forest before him. Kazeshini had disappeared, slipped right back into his mind. But he wasn't chained down in a dark recess. He was part of Shuuhei. The Shinigami felt his spirit flowing through his veins. He could hear every thought. The large black robe that covered down his arms and to his ankles was topped with a large hood that hung over his forehead, casting his eyes now bright blue eyes in shadow.

A new power pulsed through him, one he had never felt before. Time seemed to slow down and though there was no wind, he knew the leaves were moving because of him. Because little by little he was letting out portions of his reiatsu, testing exactly what he could do.

Not that he'd ever let Kazeshini find out, but he was going to have fun figuring his new powers out.

* * *

**A/N: Fin for now! I hope you enjoyed reading it. I had lots of fun writing it, and by no means is this how Shuuhei looks in his Bankai form for reals. 'Cause... nobody knooowssss! Just my take on it! :D**


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